Updating control devices in a data center

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for updating software one or more control devices in a data center. According to the method and apparatus a data center is outfitted with a plurality of control devices responsible for controlling the operation of a data center component. An update server is configured to update software running one of the plurality of control devices whenever software running on another one of the plurality of control devices is updated.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A computer-implemented method for updating software in a system for controlling the operation of a cooling device in a data center, the method comprising:
 detecting an event triggering an installation of a first update to software that is executing on a control device; 
 in response to the event, identifying an interface device that connects the control device to the cooling device, the interface device being configured to relay a control signal that is transmitted by the control device to the cooling device; 
 identifying, with a processor, a second update to software that is executing on the interface device, wherein the second update is different than the first update; and 
 installing the first update and the second update on the control device and the interface device, respectively; 
 wherein the interface device is connected directly to the cooling device and the first control device is coupled to the interface device. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the control signal is a signal that changes a rate at which the cooling device cools equipment in a server rack. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein identifying the second update includes consulting a data record that indicates whether the first update is compatible with the second update. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the second update is associated with a release date; and 
 identifying the second update includes selecting the second update over another update based on the release date. 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving an identifier that is indicative of a hardware configuration of the interface device; and 
 wherein the second update is identified based on the received identifier. 
 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein installing the second update includes replacing the software executing on the interface device. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein installing the second update includes patching the software executing on the interface device. 
     
     
       8. A computer-implemented method for updating software in a data center control system, the method comprising:
 detecting an event triggering an installation of a first update to software that is executing on a first control device; 
 in response to the event, identifying a second control device that is located downstream from the first control device on a transmission path used to deliver control signals transmitted in a downstream direction by the first control device towards a data center component; 
 identifying, with a processor, a second update to software that is executing on the second control device, wherein the second update is different than the first update; and 
 installing the first update on the first control device; and 
 installing the second update on the second control device. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the second control device is an interface device. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the data center component is one of a cooling device or a power backup system. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the first control device and the second control device are coupled in series to the data center component; and 
 the second control device is located between the first control device and the data center component. 
 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the data center component is a device for controlling a temperature of one or more servers in the data center. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the data center component is a device for providing power to one or more servers in the data center. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the data center component is a lighting system for illuminating at least a portion of the data center. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the second update is associated with a release date; and 
 identifying the second update includes selecting the second update over another update based on the release date. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 8 , wherein identifying the second update includes consulting a data record that indicates whether the first update is compatible with the second update. 
     
     
       17. A computer-implemented method for updating software in a data center control system, the method comprising:
 detecting, with a processor, an event triggering an installation of a first update to software that is executing on a first control device; and 
 in response to the event, installing a second update on a second control device that is located, together with the first control device, on a transmission path used to deliver a control signal to a data center component, the second control device is between the first control device and the data center component in the transmission path; 
 wherein the second update is an update to software that is different than the first update and is executed on the second control device; and 
 wherein the control signal is a signal that causes the data center component to transition from one operational state to another operational state. 
 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 17 , wherein the data center component is one of a cooling device and a power backup system. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 17 , further comprising identifying the second update by consulting a data record that indicates whether the first update is compatible the second update. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 17 , wherein the data center component is a device for controlling a temperature of one or more servers in the data center. 
     
     
       21. The method of  claim 17 , wherein the data center component is a device for providing power to one or more servers in the data center. 
     
     
       22. The method of  claim 17 , wherein the data center component is a lighting device for illuminating at least a portion of the data center. 
     
     
       23. A data center comprising:
 a first data center component; 
 a second data center component; 
 a managing device; 
 a first interface device coupled to the first data center component and the managing device, the first interface device being configured to relay a first control signal generated by the managing device to the first data center component; 
 a second interface device coupled to the second data center component and the managing device, the second interface device being configured to relay a second control signal generated by the managing device to the second data center component; and 
 a server, having one or more processors, that is configured to: 
 detect an event triggering an installation of a first update to software executing on the managing device; 
 identify a second update to software executing on the first interface device, the second update being different from the first update; 
 identify a third update to software executing on the second interface device, the third update being different from the second update; and 
 install the first update, the second update, and the third update on the managing device, the first interface device, and the second interface device, respectively. 
 
     
     
       24. The data center of  claim 23 , wherein the first interface device is configured to generate a first analog signal in response to one or more messages received over a digital connection with the managing device, the one or more messages constituting the first control signal. 
     
     
       25. The data center of  claim 23 , wherein the first data center component is a cooling device and the second data center component is a battery backup system. 
     
     
       26. The data center of  claim 23 , wherein identifying the second update includes consulting a data record that indicates whether the first update is compatible with the second update.